Three people have died in the dangerous snowstorm in New York
A neighbor removes snow in front of his house after a huge snowfall in Hamburg, New York.
Photo: John Normile / Getty Images
Upstate residents of New York were dating on Saturday of a dangerous snowstorm that had thrown more than 6 feet of snow in some areas and caused at least three deaths.
The Buffalo metropolitan area was particularly hard hit, with some areas south of the city receiving more than 5 feet of snow early Saturday.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted that two people died “associated with exertional cardiac events during shoveling/snow removal . We send our deepest condolences and remind everyone that this snow is very heavy and dangerous,” wrote Poloncarz.
Unfortunately, we must report the passing of two Erie County residents – associated with cardiac events related to exertion during shoveling/snow blowing. We send our deepest sympathies and remind all that this snow is very heavy and dangerous. #ThatIPASnowStorm— Mark Poloncarz (@markpoloncarz) November 11, 2014
A third person, a snowplow driver in the town of Hamlet , Indiana, was killed Friday when his snowplow skidded off the pavement and flipped over, according to the Starke County Sheriff’s Department. Hamlet is about 11 miles (48 kilometers) from Lake Michigan.
Snowfall breaks records
Buffalo saw a record snowfall of 30.1 inches on Saturday, breaking the previous record of 7.6 inches in 2021, according to the National Weather Service. A travel ban remained in effect for Buffalo as of 6: 18 am ET Saturday, Erie County Emergency Services Commissioner Dan Neaverth said.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), the suburb of Orchard Park, home of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, reported 80 inches of snow (196 centimeters) for early Saturday morning. About 80 miles (100 kilometers) northeast of the city, the town of Natural Bridge, near the Fort Drum military base, reported just under 6 feet .
Snowfall forced the National Football League to move Sunday’s game between the Bills and the Cleveland Browns to Detroit.
Storm effects varied widely in the region due to the peculiarities of storms with lake effect, which are caused by frigid winds that pick up moisture from warmer lakes and dump snow in narrow bands. Some areas of Buffalo were hit with heavy snowfall from Lake Erie, while just miles away, residents only had to deal with a few inches.
A time-lapse video showed lake-effect snow engulfing part of the city Friday morning, like a barrier above the ground.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul thanked for the state’s storm preparedness and said the teams have been working tirelessly to handle the situation.
“This is the effort that we have put together: bringing in resources, people, equipment from all over New York State. And because we were so preemptive in this attack, we were able to prevent a lot of tragedies,” Hochul said.
Hochul thanked western New Yorkers for closing major highways, implementing bans travel and stay home before it started to snow, which helped prevent accidents, protect human life and ensure that roads are safe and clear for emergency services.
Hochul said he is doubling the number of New York National Guard members in Erie County to check on residents’ needs and help to remove the snow.
He also signed an application for federal reimbursement through a Federal Disaster Emergency Declaration.
Dozens of flights to and from Buffalo Niagara International Airport were canceled as storm conditions worsened, according to the Buffalo Niagara website. airport.
